Hydraulic rail-bond compressor.



PATENTED MAY '7, 1907.

J, WEEKS. HYDRAULIC RAIL BOND COMPRESSOR.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 6, 1905.

UNITED STATES PATENT orrion.

JOHN WEEKS, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO WILLIAM M. DUD- GEON, EXEOUTOR OF RICHARD DUDGEON, DECEASED.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May '7, 1907.

Application filed January 6, 1905. Serial No. 239.831.

To [bZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN VVEEKs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hydraulic Rail-Bond Compressors, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates, generally, to hy- IO draulic riveting tools, and particularly to hand-operated devices for properly upsetting and heading the copper rivets which.

provide and insure suitable and permanent electrical contact between rails and bondwires to make continuous conductors of the track-rails or a separate conductor-rail for the operation of electric railway systems. For this purpose, rails may be bonded in dif ferent ways, but it has been found preferable, for many reasons, not least among which is that application, operation and removal of the tool is thereby facilitated, to secure the conductors to the base of the rail; It is well known that the punch generally employed for perforating that portion of the rail through which it is desired to pass, and in which perforation is subsequently compressed, the rivet which secures the bond wire, forms a hole which tapers toward the side on which the power is applied. The rivet should obviously be inserted through the smaller end of the hole, whereby a more effective bond is secured when the end of the rivet is upset by the compressor. It will be 3 5 apparent, therefore, that the direction of the force applied to upset the rivet should be opposite to that applied to punch the rivet-hole in the rail. These bond-rivets are provided with heads which, if the rivet is inserted from above the rail, are left projecting above the otherwise smooth surface of the base thereof. This is objectionable, first, because the head thus constitutes a ,slight obstruction, and, secondly, because with the permanent head upermost these rivets are more easily forcibly dislodged by pilferers. On these, and possibly other, accounts, it is deemed preferable, and so far as I know it is the invariable custom, to insert the bond-rivet from 5 below the base of the rail, from which it folno interference in application or operation lows that the hole should be punched from below and the upsetting pressure applied from above the base of the rail.

Rails are more generally bonded after they have been secured to the sleepers or crossties, and the type of rail doubtless most commonly made the subject of the bonding operation is one or another form of what is known as the T-rail. If the rivet-upsetting pressure is applied from above the base of the rail, therefore, it is obviously necessary that the tool be so constructed thatthe head or tread of the ordinary T-rail will not interfere with its application and operation, and that without sacrifice of compactness and the desirability of the shortest possible distance between the source of power and the point of application thereof.

Theparticular object of the present inven-. tion is, therefore, the construction of a selfcontained, hydraulic riveting tool, operating downwardly from above the base of the rail, in which the pressure chamber is located immediately above a comparatively short ram, whereby there is the shortest possible distanoe between the points of generation and application of the power, yet with the various parts so located and arranged that there is, first, no sacrifice of strength, and, secondly,

with the head or tread of the rail.

Another object of my invention is the con struction of a riveter adapted for use with all of the more common sizes and types of rails, doing away with the necessity now eX- 8 5 istiplg of providing special compressors for eac Furthermore, I have in view a tool of this class simpler in construction and more efficient in operation than those now in use, and one which may be manipulated with the least possible loss of time in application and adjustment.

With the above and other ends in view,

,my invention consists, generally, in a novel 5 arrangement and construction of parts whereby I secure compactness and direct pressure against a short, downwardly-acting ram without sacrificing the strength and rigidity of the device as a whole and without having parts with which, when the device was adjusted for operation, the head or tread of the rail would interfere.

My invention further consists in novel means for supporting the tool upon the rail, and, further, in supporting means which permit of the employment of the entire tool body as a lever to exert preliminary upward pressure against the rivet head on the under drawings, forming a part of this specifica.

tion, and in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a device embodying my invention, adjusted for opera tion. Fig. 2 is a central vertical section of the same.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, numeral 3 refers to the body portion of my bond-rivet compressor, which is recessed to provide a lower jaw 4, carrying or having mounted therein the block or anvil 5, and the u per jaw 6 provided with a suitable vertical ore within which the ram 7 is slidable.

The head 8 is not mounted directly above or in alinement with the ram 7, but is ofiset, as shown, whereby it is removed from possible interference with the head 9 of the rail. This head '8 is preferably screw-threaded and firmly held within a correspondingly threaded aperture in the body 3. is the force pump 10, operating with its valves in the usual manner to compress the liquid employed in the preliminary pressure chamber 11. The head 8, with its cylinder, pump and valves, for1nsso far as its construction and operation are concernedno part of the present invention, and having been heretofore described in detail by me in Letters Patent of the United States No. 895,675, granted to me January 1, 1889, need not be again described herein. In fact, any form of head, containing suitable compressing means, may be employed so far as this invention is concerned. In offsetting the head 8, however, an auxiliary pressure chamber 12, above the ram 7 is necessitated, having constantly open communication with the chamber 11 through any form of duct or channel 13. The chamber 12 is within the bore or cylinder for the ram 7, which is sealed by means of the cap 14 threaded into the end of the boreand provided with suitable packing. The pressure head of the ram 7 is pref- Within this head erably provided with thegland 15 to retain the packing 16. It will be apparent, however, that a single laterally elongated pressure chamber would be the equivalent of the two chambers 11 and 12 with their connecting duct 13.

Suitably secured to the bottom of the body portion 3 is the bracket 17, carrying the pivot-pin 18. Upon this pin are mounted for pivotal movement a pair of hooks, but one of'which 19 is shown in the drawings, the other being a counterpart, similarly located and mounted on the other side of the device. The end of the hook 19 is provided with a plurality of apertures 20--2O for the pivotpin 18, whereby said hooks may be made of graduated operative lengths and thus be ada ted to various heights of rail. I also prefer to provide these hooks with adjusting screws 21 to further facilitate proper application of the hook to rails having various styles and sizes of heads.

Projecting from the rear side of the body portion 3 of the tool is a bar 22 which may be secured within said body portion in any suit able manner; In the construction shown said bar is tapering or wedge-shaped at its interior extremity, which is driven into a correspondingly tapered bore. The employment of this bar 22, in connection with the hook 19, provides a compound lever fulcrumed in the pivot bearings of the hook and adapted to exert pressure through the block or anvil 5 against the head 23 of the bond or rivet 24. This bar 22 is conveniently located to receive power from the weight of the operator throu h his foot or knee, and in this manner I facilitate the employment of the entire tool body as a lever to secure proper seating of the rivet head against the under surface of the rail-base prior to application of the hydraulic pressure through the ram.

I have shown the ram 7 provided with a rack 25 with whichthe pinion 26 meshes and co-operates to provide, in a common and well-known manner, for contact between the operative head of the ram and the rivet 24 prior to the application of force or pressure through the pump 10. The configuration of the operative head of the ram 7 is immaterial so far as the present invention is concerned. I prefer, however, to provide one or more tapering ribs or corrugations 27 to facilitate the spreading or upsetting of the end of the rivet, although it is obvious that ICO the ram may be recessed or otherwise shaped to provide any form of head which may be,

This recess may obviously be considerably larger, if desired, although for practical purposes with more common forms of rails the comparative size of the recess as shown will be found adequate. It will be furthermore apparent that the metal may be cut away in any suitable manner at this point to prevent interference with the proper adjustment and operation of the tool.

The hook having been adjusted to conform to the size and style of rail and the rivet having been inserted, the tool is first applied by clamping said hook over the head of the rail and swinging the body portion 3 to bring the rail-base, containing the rivet, to proper position between the jaws 5 and 7, with the lower jaw 5 in contact with the head of the rivet. By means of the rack and pinion the ram 7 is then brought down into contact with the rivet and the requisite preliminary pressure supplied as indicated by the foot or knee of the user through the lever 22. ram is then subjected to the hydraulic pressure in the manner indicated and effects the upsetting or spreading of the end of the shank or stem of the rivet to compress said stem firmly and permanently within the rivet hole and provide an opposite retaining head thereon. I

It will be noted that the more pronounced advantages of the construction just described are: First, great bodily strength where strength is needed to resist strains resulting from both the hydraulic pressure and the use of the tool body as a lever, yet without surplus and unnecessary material to add to the weight of the tool; second, direct pressure against a downwardly acting ram without interference between any portion of the tool body and any portion of the rail, and without unnecessarily elongating the ram to increase friction, weaken its resistance to bending strains and impair the necessary perfect alinement third, the ease with which certain parts most liable to wear out or get out of order may be removed for replacement or repair without molesting other parts, as, for example, the removability of the ram 7, after the plug 14 has been unscrewed, without interfering in any way with the pump mechanism; fourth, the adaptability of the tool to almost any height or style of rail; and, fifth, the peculiarly advantageous manner of supporting the tool upon, or suspending the same from, the rail, whereby a powerful initial pressure may be exerted upwardly against the rivet-head to firmly seat the rivet for the upsetting operation.

Many modifications of the minor details of my improved riveting tool will doubtless readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art to which it appertains, and I there- The I fore do not desire to limit my invention to the specific construction herein shown and described.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. The combination, with an hydraulic rail-bond compressor having a ram-cylinder, a ram and an anvil, of means for engaging the rail at points above, and supporting the device from points below, said ram-cylinder, ram and anvil.

2. In a device of the class described having upper and lower jaws, the combination, with a ram-cylinder and a ram in said upper jaw and an anvil in said lower jaw, of means for supporting the device upon the material operated upon from points below said material, whereby the device itself becomes a lever fulcrumed in its supports for exerting upward pressure through said anvil.

3. In an hydraulic rail-bond compressor, the combination, with a body portion containing the compressing means, of an arm pivoted to said body portion at points below said compressing means and provided with means for engaging the rail at points above said compressing means.

4. In a device of the class described, the combination, with a body portion containing the compressing means, of an arm pivoted to said body portion at points below, and provided with means for engaging the material operated upon at points above, said com pressing means, and means for varying the operative length of said arm.

5. In a device of the class described. having an upper and a lower jaw, the combination, with a ram-cylinder and a ram in said upper jaw and an anvil in said lower jaw, and means for engaging the material operated upon, which at the same time serves as a fulcrum for the use of the whole tool-body as a lever to exert reactive pressure against said material through said anvil.

6. In a device of the class described, the combination, with the body portion containing the ram and anvil, of means for engaging the material operated. upon, which at the same time serves as a fulcrum for the use of the whole tool-body as a lever to eXert reactive pressure against said material through said anvil.

7. In a device of the class described, the combination, with the body portion containing the ram and anvil, of means for engaging the material operated upon, which at the same time serves as a fulcrum for the use of the whole tool-body as a lever to eXert reactive pressure against said material through said anvil, and a projecting arm to facilitate such use through the foot or knee of the operator.

8. In an hydraulic 'railbond compressor, the combination, with a body portion con taining the anvil, ram-cylinder and a substantially vertically acting ram operating above the base and below the tread of the rail when applied thereto, of a head containing the pump located laterally of and operating parallel to said ram.

9. In an hydraulic rail-bond compressor, the combination, with a body portion containing the compressing means, of a pair of arms pivoted to the lower or bottom portion In testimony of the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN WEEKS. [L. s.]

Witnesses:

HELEN ORocKER, JAMES W. NELSON. 

